City Councilmember Chi Ossé has been released from custody after his arrest Wednesday during a protest involving a resident’s property dispute in Bed-Stuy.
The councilmember said on social media Wednesday afternoon he was being examined at a hospital for injuries sustained during the arrest, and that three other people remained in custody, including two who had been hospitalized.
“I was manhandled by three men,” Ossé told reporters outside the precinct after his release. “It takes a lot to lift me off the ground, but they were able to do so. They slammed me against the concrete. … My face is sore, and I do feel a little loopy and dizzy.”
Video his office released showed officers forcing him to the ground. In the video, the view of Ossé is momentarily obstructed after he’s pulled to the ground, and then he’s seen with his face on the pavement as officers handcuff him. Ossé said he plans to file a misconduct report against the officers who “slammed [him] on the ground.”
NYPD officials said before the arrest, officers had ordered Osse and a crowd of about 30 people to disperse repeatedly as they tried to help city marshals execute an eviction at the property.
The Jefferson Avenue brownstone has a tangled history, with family members and heirs disputing who actually owns the home and who has the power to sell it. Ossé described the underlying issue he was there to protest as a “deed theft,” but both the state attorney general’s office and a spokesperson for the property's purchaser disputed that characterization.
An NYPD spokesperson said the city sheriff’s office and marshals went to the residence to issue an "eviction and mental health warrant," but a resident of the home refused entry and police were called to the scene.
Four people, including Ossé, were arrested — and each was given a desk appearance ticket for allegedly obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct, police said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would look into what happened during an unrelated event Wednesday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a post on X that she was "deeply disturbed" by the video of Ossé's arrest.
Longtime resident Carmella Charrington has accused buyers of deed theft and has said in court documents that her family has owned the property for more than 60 years. But an LLC also claims ownership of the property and has been seeking to evict her for nearly two years.
Outside the home on Wednesday, Charrington showed reporters “marshal’s legal possession” notice that describes a company called 227 Group LLC as the landlord.
Carmella Charrington outside the home where she resides on Jefferson Avenue Wednesday.
“For this to happen and see that this is happening is unreal, is really unreal,” she said of the escalation of the yearslong battle. “But if this is what needs to be, to make the change, I'm willing to stand.”
Officials and advocates say deed theft and fraud are a growing problem in predominantly Black and Latino sections of Brooklyn and Queens, where investors can pry valuable homes from their owners for a fraction of their true value.
The 227 Group LLC has not been formally accused of wrongdoing, and a spokesperson for the group told Gothamist it legally purchased the property after complex negotiations that included a probate court in Georgia because Charrington's father is subject to a court-ordered receivership. The spokesperson said the transactions were legal and Charrington's eviction ordered by a judge.
The AG’s office said it had been working with Charrington on her case for more than a year and advised her to seek private legal representation.
A Gothamist review of records shows a January 2026 deed for the home at 212 Jefferson Ave. shows Charrington’s father Allman Charrington transferred the property to her.
But another deed from 2024 shows the home was purchased by 227 Group LLC from the estate of a previous owner for $1.4 million. That LLC filed eviction papers against Charrington in July 2024, according to public records.
City property records also include a contract memorandum and termination agreement between the administrator of the estate and a second company. Those were signed by investor Joseph Ambalo. The company shares a Queens address with 227 Group, according to the property records.
Ambalo, his brother Elliot and their associate Etai Vardi have amassed dozens of valuable homes in predominantly Black and Latino sections of Brooklyn and Queens after targeting family members who own partial shares in the properties, the news site The City reported in 2023. The strategy is called "partition" and allows partial owners to force the sale of an entire property.
Vardi told the local news site Brownstoner in 2024 that his company canceled its agreement to purchase the property because it was "so complex, and there is so much family history." He did not say why the eventual purchaser, 227 Group, shared a business address with his company.
Charrington was jailed for contempt of court several days ago in that dispute. She was released Tuesday, according to city records. The Brooklyn district attorney’s office did not immediately return a message seeking details of her case.
In social media posts, Ossé said supporters had successfully fundraised to get her legal representation, and said she had been released from Rikers Island. He said the effort to support her legal case continues.
Earlier this year, Ossé and other elected officials sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter urging a moratorium on evictions in cases that may be related to deed theft. He said at the time that because eviction proceedings continue while deed theft cases are pursued, people are often forced from homes they still legally own.
This story and has been updated with more information.
Rhiannon Rashidi and Samantha Max contributed reporting.
